Case Study
The Water Research Foundation Relies on IntelliData’s Expertise, Efficiency, and Responsiveness to Complete Critical IT Projects
Nonprofit uses intelliData to carry out association management system integration and other business operations initiatives
Background
The Water Research Foundation (WRF) is an internationally recognized leader in water research. Founded in 1966 and based in Colorado, the nonprofit has more than 1,200 subscriber (member) organizations that rely on WRF’s cutting-edge research.
Challenge: Complex Projects, Need for Personalized Product Features
WRF had important business operations initiatives involving its association management system (AMS) that impacted not only its internal processes, but also its communications with their subscribers.
WRF wanted to pursue a different path in support of its AMS needs with a focus on customer and research project management functionality.
“Ultimately, we were looking for a trusted advisor who would not only help us launch a new AMS, but also understand our processes and business requirements so that we could deliver a user-friendly and robust product for our end users.” — Tania Haskins, WRF Chief Operating Officer
Solution: Seamless, Efficient AMS Integrations, IT and Software Upgrades
In 2016, WRF hired IntelliData, a technology consulting company specializing in data analytics and AMS support, upon a recommendation from another organization in the water sector.
Custom Report Development
The first project IntelliData performed for WRF pertained to 30 custom reports that had to be re-created by pulling data from the new AMS. The reports ranged from several pages to over 100 pages, and covered multiple topics including financials, subscriber involvement, and volunteer information.
The reports had been developed using the old AMS, and WRF wanted to reproduce the reports using the same customized formatting.
Within 2-3 months, IntelliData developed new custom reports, populating them with translated data from the new AMS.
“Our staff uses these reports in many ways. These reports are vital to keeping up to date with our subscribers’ activity and engagement. IntelliData leveraged their knowledge of exising reports to create custom reports that met our unique business needs.”— Sue White, WRF Business System Administrator
Other Critical Initiatives
Once the custom reports project was completed, WRF tasked IntelliData with additional projects over the years:
- Data Integration: When WRF merged with another organization, the nonprofit needed to migrate a large amount of data into WRF’s current AMS. IntelliData stepped in to facilitate the entire migration process. The project was completed within 4-5 months.
- AMS Upgrade: WRF needed to upgrade its AMS to the latest version to take advantage of new features, but it also wanted to retain previous customizations. IntelliData did the upgrade and completed the project within 9 months.
- Email Marketing Program: WRF sends newsletters and announcements to more than 16,000 constituents. When the nonprofit switched to new email marketing software, IntelliData integrated the new program into the AMS within a week and trained the staff on how to use the new software.
Results: WRF Gains Expertise and Efficiencies With IntelliData That Meet Their Budget
WRF benefited from IntelliData’s services in multiple ways:
- Cost and Time Savings: IntelliData’s expertise and efficient, responsive team ensured that WRF completed the projects quickly in a cost-effective manner and on time.
- Trusted Partner: WRF views IntelliData as a valuable resource that the nonprofit can turn to for help, whether it communicating with AMS tech support or figuring out the best approach to solving an existing problem.
WRF continues to use the consulting company for ongoing projects.